


A promise

by Flakey_Dreams



Category: One Piece
Genre: And Shanks pep talks them I guess, Fluff, Gen, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Reader wants to be a marine, Shanks is best uncle I swear--, but he ain't the best role model tho, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 20:32:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18818476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flakey_Dreams/pseuds/Flakey_Dreams
Summary: The Red-Hair pirates have been making themselves at home, which you really didn't like. Today was the last day they'd make their stay, as those pesky pirates would be gone for good.You decided to confront Shanks for the last time, as you carried the gun in your hands.





	A promise

**Author's Note:**

> I'm still practicing sksksks, I made this on the fly as I get my shit together. 
> 
> It was supposed to be a simple, and wholesome oneshot. But I'm not sure if it turned out that way lmao

You barely managed to sneak out of your house. Thankfully, it seems as if your foster mother had been preoccupied with your other rowdy siblings.

Alas, it was nearly the time for dinner. And you better expect chicken legs, bits of rice, and an assortment of different condiments were being thrown around in the room.You _almost_ feel a little guilty for leaving her there -- and you could definitely hear the  earful that you were gonna get -- but that was quickly tossed out of the window  by the sound of the gun in your hand as you cocked it readily.

The crisp, and chilling feeling of the wind hit you, as you stumbled through the wet bushes.The rustling of the leaves and the scent of fresh leaves filled your senses, with the occasional caws of a crow that clawed at your head as you disturbed their slumber.

You clumsily swatted the air with one hand, and eventually picked up the pace.

' _Stupid crow.'_ You grumbled out.

Oh yeah, did you mention why exactly were running through the bushes like a madman?

Well dear reader, you were moving along to quickly attempt at infiltrating a pirate's vessel. A pirate ship, as you could call it. A ship that belonged to a few notorious, and awfully dangerous men. Yeah, pretty heroic right?

 _These pirates practically arrived out of nowhere. They made themselves at home, and stayed for a few days, with their ship being docked in a nearby port. Apparently, they stopped here to “restock” or something.._ I'm calling bullshit _because all I’ve heard them do is just waste themselves away and hang out at Miss Makino’s bar._

Your eyebrows furrow in a second, while you glared at the gun you held in your hands.

Poor miss Makino.. She had to deal with these pesky pirates for those couple of days. And it also puzzled you as to why the mayor didn't do anything at first.

The first time you've faced those criminals was something you couldn't forget.

You rolled my eyes and huffed out angrily. A memory of them laughing their asses off at you fuels more of your ever-burning rage, as your teeth clenched together painfully.  
Pfft, yeah right, ‘ _We didn’t do anything’_.

...! 

Your face turned in to a determined smirk as you noticed the bushes getting thinner and thinner.

When the bushes came to an end, you saw an opening which led straight to the docking port. Holding the gun securely with both if your hands, you glanced back and forth from left and right.

Glancing to your right, you could see all of the other houses. There were a few of the townspeople, who were carrying out their respective duties.

... And It seems like most of the pirates are occupying Miss Makino's bar, as muffled laughter and chattering could be heard even from the here.

‘The coast is clear!’ You concluded while charging forward quickly, making sure to keep the sounds of your sandals to a minimum.

As you snuck your way around, you eventually see a silhouette. The pirate vessel stood over, looming over you as barrels and crates were left, scattered on the wooden floors beside the ship. The bright rays of the sunset shone around the ship’s silhouette, and on to your eyes, momentarily blinding you for a second.

You made a sound that resembled a hiss and slowed down significantly to shield your eyes.

After your eyes have adjusted to the death ball’s rays, you saw a figure standing beside the ship.

You silently gasped at the perfect opportunity and held your gun high.

Aiming it at the back of his head, your hands shakily held the gun as you pulled on the trigger.

“ _ **Pop**_!”

The person made a surprised sound as the rubber dart stuck from the back of his head.

“ _Wha_..?”

He extended a hand back to inspect the back of his head, rubbing the area to search for the thing that hit him. Eventually, his hands ran over a bump. Finally realizing what it was, he found the dart and pulled it up with a pop.

“Oh, is that you again kiddo?” Shanks turned to look at you as he smiled welcomingly.

His friendly voice was just as friendly as ever, it honestly made you scrunch up your face and squint at him.

...Well maybe not AT him, but from the death ball behind him.

‘ _Curse the sun_.’

His stupid face was looking at you with that stupid smile of his again. You found it strange how his shaggy scarlet hair lacked their usual straw-hat that donned them, since it's something that he treasures dearly from what you saw from him.

He held the dart with his hand, as his gray cape draped over his other arm. "How's your family doin' buddy?" He grins.

You kindly answered his question with another shot of the dart.

Shanks doesn’t even flinch at the rubber dart sticking to his forehead, in fact he looks amused at your attempts once again.

He chuckles and dodges another dart thrusted at him. “C’mon kiddo, is that the way you’re gonna send this old man off?” He asks with mock hurt in his voice.

You just puffed out your cheeks as he looked at you expectantly; Your confidence before had seemingly vanished, as you shrunk back to gaze to your side.

‘ _So much for inflitrating the enemy’s ship._ ’

Huffing out once again, you scanned the ship beside you with a sharp gaze. It was completely void of sound, unlike the usual ruckus you’ve heard every time you came to check the pirates out. It felt weird that they were suddenly disappearing from the few days of your life, and you couldn’t help but feel a striking – yet sad pain blossom in your chest.

You just ignored the scarlet-haired man and swiftly treaded to the edge of the dock behind him.

He felt confused at your sudden behavior, since you've always looked to jump at any chance at taking him out. “Hey now.. What’s with the long face?” The man’s echoed from behind you, as he spun around to see where you’re headed to.

He puts a hand on his chin, “Don’t tell me… _Aww,_ are you really gonna miss us _that_ much?” He coos out while laughing whole-heartedly.

A tick mark appears on your forehead at his ~~correct~~ conclusion; and you feel a retort bubble out from your throat. Though, something was preventing you from looking at him face to face as you said it. “Pft! As if! I’m glad your sorry asses are gonna be gone after I’m done with you!” you sneered out, while facing away from him.

Shanks seems thorough amused, and decides to prod even further.

“Oh, is that right? What makes you think so after all the times you've said it?”

You clenched your hands beside your body, feeling your fists shake with an unfamiliar emotion.

“Because I know so! Your head will be served on a silver platter that I’ll serve to the marines, and I’ll finally prove to them how useful I could be!"

"I'm going to do something amazing! And I won't stick around just to get pushed around again by you pirates, got that?!” Your voice cracked slightly, as you snapped out at the cerulean sea. You panted out slowly. Your throat felt constricted and sore, and you suddenly felt very guilty, _now_ that you've heard what you've said aloud.

The remnants of your outburst could still be heard around the sky, echoing those few sentences which left you sweating in dread about the figure's reaction behind you. You just sat still, looking at the sea below you. You wouldn't dare to stand and face him now.

Not after your little outburst.

He stayed silent, as the gentle sea winds blew past the both of you. The warm smell of the sea hits you, but instead of a comforting and warm embrace, ut made you extra anxious at his silence.

The sun had nearly gone away, leaving the dark tinges of the night to claw out from the edges of the horizon. The waters looked almost a shade of green now, with the sun reflecting it’s light from the surface of the waters, giving light to our figures. Time went absolutely, painstakingly slow.

' _._ _ _..__ _S_ _ _hit. J__ _ust get to the point you tomato head. If you have_ _ _something to say__ __about it, t__ _hen_ _ _just__ _say it.'_

You felt an overwhelming sense of anger and guilt seeping through your heart. You hadn't meant to become too emotional, but you guess you got carried away.

You gazed sharply at the calm cerulean waters as your reflection glared back at you. A marine you said. A proud marine is what you wanted to become after this. What sort of soldier breaks down right in front of their enemy? _Good grief, were you stupid._

You pursed your lips.

Clenching the gun with one hand, you sighed out slowly; ultimately, you lowered yourself down to the ground and sat on the edge of the dock, with your legs dangling off the side.

You were in deep shit thinking about how badly you screwed up, that you failed to notice Shanks's figure walking closer and closer to you.

Suddenly, Shanks’s snort could be heard before he breaks in to laughter. You snap your head up to him, as he stood up, towering from behind you.

“Hahahah! A tiny little twerp like you? Trying to take MY head?! Keep dreaming kid!”

You snapped out of your daze with a flushed face, as you clenched your fists. He continued on to laugh beside you, and you bit the inside of your cheeks in frustration. You suddenly felt extremely embarrassed after your moody outburst and, and not to mention humiliated by the laughter coming from the man.

"S-shut Up!! So what?!" You shrieked defensively.

He laughs. “Your tiny little gun darts won’t stop me. Not when I’m trying to keep my head in _one_ _piece_ too.”

You were really starting to run out of retorts, as you’ve resorted in to angry stammers instead. But even with all that, you refused to back down. You just crossed your arms bitterly while ignoring his presence beside you.

"Besides, you _love_ us way too much to do that.. Am I right?" He coos out sweetly while lifting both of his eyebrows suggestively.

He breaks in to another round of laughter, after seeing you hunch away sulkingly from him.

 _Though you hate to admit it.. Shanks and his crew really weren’t… that bad. I mean, apart from getting wasted at Miss Makino’s bar, they haven’t really interrupted or bothered anyone in their stay_.

In fact – even with your pride still in the way – You.. _respected_ him. You’ve seen just an extent of his power and it certainly amazes you,  
It certainly amazes you on how a person could wield such groundbreaking powers, and _do_ _absolutely_ _nothing_ _with_ _it._

Shanks hums from beside you. “Hm. But uf you really _ARE_ keen on doing it, then why don't you do it?” He said evenly making you spin around to face him once again. Your eyes were as wide as saucers, and he just smiles it off like it was nothing.

' _Waitwait... What?'_

“But, could I ask you how exactly you’re gonna do it? I mean, all you’ve been doing is practically screeching at my face every time we even meet.” He says in a-matter-of-factly voice.

“Also... What makes you so sure that you know what it takes to take someone’s life?” Shanks questioned while looking you dead in the eye, making you jump at his serious tone.

The red-haired man had an unfamiliar tone in his voice, one you’ve never heard of in the entirety of getting to know him. You pursed your lips as your gaze locked on to metal grey orbs, unable to tear your eyes away from his determined eyes.

“You’ve got the will – at least you say you do – so why not finish your goal right here right now.”

You hear a piece of metal clunking on the ground, looking down at the floor below you, you gasped when you sas a sharp, steel rapier laying there on the ground. It glowed dimly in the light, and it's blade extended quite far across the floor. The edge of the blade is small, but it was sharp, and could pierce through skin awfully easy.

You couldn't imagine it actually killing someone in one stab. It looks like it suits as a more lightweight weapon to carry around and whip out quickly.

You gulped as you glanced between the rapier, and Shanks. His words felt taunting, even if he didn’t necessarily mean it. You’ve just began to realize how far the road ahead really is, it seemed deceptively easy to proclaim a lifetime goal that you’d “Eventually reach”, only to put it aside because of how weak and cowardly our minds could be.

' _Shit. Is this really my chance?_ _ _But..__ _'_

HIS open declaration felt bizarre, yet also taunting to you. It taunted you on how easily this could be done, right here, right now, IF you had the heart to do it.

“.. Or I could just leave you here on this boring, 'ol island. I mean, I wouldn’t mind _not_ getting killed today. And perhaps you'll always be too chicken to be a marine anyways.” He says while shrugging.

Shanks really couldn’t have imagined how your face could’ve become more gloomier than before, your face is practically drooping down tor the floor as a depressing aura radiated from your figure. He really thinks he outdid himself as he couldn’t hold in the snickers coming from his mouth. You finally exclaimed in surprise as he held his stomach with laughter.

You furrowed your brows at him, as you clenched your teeth in frustration.

“GAH! What’s so funny tomato head?!” You screeched defensively. Shanks only laughs harder at this, while he pointed a shaky finger towards you

“Y-You’re face--! It was so serious! It was honestly _so--!”_

**_Bonk!_ **

Shanks groans in pain as you smacked the side of his skull with your dart gun. He rubs his head as you stared at him with tears streaming down your face.

“T-That was mean you tomato fuck!!” You sobbed with distress.

He had sweat dropping down his face as he sees your tear streaked, and snot covered face. “H-Hey! I was only joking on the last part! There’s no need to take _everything_ I say so seriously.” He waved a hand at you.

You _gently_ punched him in the side – _you heard a “Youch” come from him -_ -while furiously rubbing the tears away from your face. “You big mean old JERK. I wasn’t taking any of your bullshit seriously anyways.” You insisted while wipingthe snot off your face

You flinched a little as he put a warm hand on your shoulder.

“Heh (l/n), it’s really up to you if you want to pay mind to any of the _“Bullshit”_ I’ve said.” He quoted with his hand.

You stared at him with wide eyes, as he gets up from his spot.

“Who knows? Maybe you’ll finally be a marine like you’ve always wanted.”

“Or.. You could just be a bum who sits around and does nothing.” He smirks at my angry face mockingly.

“But, who knows?” He shrugged.

“You have a lot of guts, maybe even the same amount as another kid.." He smiles "Ah, who knows? Maybe we’ll cross paths one day. On the high seas.” He looked down at you, a smile adorning his face as he stepped back, almost as if passing you the rapier.

You gasped silently, as tears threatened to spill again from the corner of your eyes.

“Until then, I’d like for you to keep to your promise.”

“And take my head when the time comes. (l/n) (y/n)” He stuck out his hand, waiting for me to grab it. By the looks of it, it was almost as if he was declaring a deal this time. You didn’t take it as a taunt, instead, an everlasting challenge that you’d be willing to finish through the bitter end.

"You up for it?"

You couldn’t stop the sobs this time. This time, you let the tears flow down quickly as you bit your quivering lip  
.  
“I…”

You stood up, as you pick up the handle of the rapier in your shaky hands.

Face full of tears you tried to stand tall and look him directly in the eye

“Y-Yeah! I PROMISE!!”

Your voice cracked every time you shouted out. But that didn’t really bother you this time.

“I’ll become the greatest marine some day! The best one out there! Just you wait!!"

You took a deep breath to try and steady your voice.

“And I promise..." You swung the rapier, pointing it straight at Shanks, as the tip shone proudly in the light. He looks at you with a knowing expression as the blade was inches away from his chest. Despite the close range that distanced itself between him and the tip, he had no intention of backing down, not one bit.

"To deliver your head to the Navy and stop you, _and_ whoever the hell the pirate king is going to be. You wanna know why?”

“Because I’ll stop them! After all there could only be one of the greatest!!”


End file.
